Think about the books that you felt the most, that changed your life. They’re from your adolescence, aren’t they? That’s because young adult literature hits us, readers of all ages, uniquely, deeply. The book that always comes to my mind whenever I think YA fiction is The Outsiders. There’s also Flowers in the Attic there, but the less said about that one the better. Now, many years later, a YA novel is still my favourite to pick up.
I was writing in the State Library of Victoria not long ago and had a coffee at Mr Tulk. Where else? On the chalkboard was a question: should young people consider themselves whole people? This had my word nerd eyes sparkling, because that’s the core of young adult fiction, isn’t it, the journey along the way to discovery.
If literature, or reading more generally is about experience, and transformation, then what could be more transformative than a good coming of age story? One thing that I love about young adult fiction is that no matter what tangled web the teen protagonists find themselves in, their story shows a way out, that their coming of age is like that tired old metaphor (but no less evocative or apt) of the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis.
As an author who writes funny, relatable YA fiction, clearly I’m a fan of the genre. I know there’s a bit of argy-bargy out there about is YA a genre or a readership, but in my mind, to limit it to readership is to ignore the fact that 28% of readers are over the age of 25. What’s more interesting to me, particularly when you consider the writing advice of write what you know, is that ironically, the idea for Summer, in Between came when my own young adulthood was a long time ago.
The idea came not from any one incident. Instead, an image of a teenage girl on the cusp of young womanhood, focused, driven and feisty, reading a monster textbook on the beach, completely oblivious to the group of surfer boys nearby. Or was she?
Like Cat, I grew up on the beach in a small country town, not unlike the fictional Batter’s Cove of my novel. I desperately wanted to get out and knew that a decent VCE score was my ticket out. I spent that summer in a state of anticipation: I was so excited for what was to come, yet equally daunted by finishing school with the marks that would decide my future. Dramatic much?
Twenty odd years later, I kept thinking about that setting, that time, and all the conflicts and complexities and the realities of life in a relatively rednecky small town. I was fascinated by the idea of a respectful, positive, adolescent romantic relationship unfolding within this setting. Could it?
And why would a happily married mother of two in her forties and beyond want to read something like this, let alone write it?
There’s a psychology concept that I stumbled upon: the reminiscence bump. Basically, it says that the experiences that adults remember most vividly are those that occurred between 15 and 25 years of age, aka when they were young adults. Adolescence is intoxicating, thrilling, compelling and at times, terrifying. It’s such a transformative, exciting and challenging time. It’s full of conflict and self-discovery and firsts and an intensity of feelings and emotions.
It’s that intensity that leads to fabulous young adult literature, the kind that feels like a nostalgic trip, thanks to the reminiscence bump. In my novel, I wanted to write about a place and a time that evokes such vivid memories for so many of us of long, hot summers at an Australian beach.
I absolutely loved writing this story of family, first love, facing fears and the pressures of what’s next. And food, so much food.
I hope readers of all ages see themselves in Cat and Paul and have some fun with the banter as they soak up all the vibes of an Aussie summer by the beach. It’s a story inspired by my favourite beach town and I love that readers are falling in love with Batter’s Cove, and with Summer, in Between.